The Spiral Cage
Al Davison was born with severe spina bifida in 1960 in Newcastle in northern England. Doctors considered him a hopeless case, condemned for life to the inescapable "spiral cage" of his own DNA. But they didn't reckon on the fighting spirit of Al and his parents. His comic book, 'The Spiral Cage', relates in a richly graphic style the trials and joys of growing up "disabled" in English society, and of one man's coming to terms with his physical, artistic and spiritual potential. It was first published in the USA in 1988 by Renegade Press, followed by a longer edition by Titan Books in 1990 and an absolute edition by Active Images in 2003. This final edition also tells the tale of Davison becoming a successful comic book author, martial arts instructor and film maker. In 1992, his second book, 'The Minotaur's Tale', was published.
The Minotaur's Tale
Davison has worked on a variety of comic books, mainly for DC Comics and DC/Vertigo since the 1990s. With Jamie Delano, he made the one shot 'Tainted' in 1995. He has had runs on titles like 'Teknophage' with Paul Jenkins, 'Vermillion' with Lucius Shepard in the 1990s. Besides several one shots and anthology contributions, Davison has worked on the British 'Doctor Who' comic with Tony Lee in 2009-2010 and on 'The Unwritten Apocalypse' for Vertigo in 2014. Through The Astral Gypsy Ltd, he has released more personal works, such as 'Hokusai Demons' (2009) and 'The Alchemist's Easel' (2013).
Teknophage #8